Goa: Amended agriculture market act awaiting government approval

MARGAO: Goa is poised to get an amended Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act soon, modelled along the lines of the model APMC Act suggested by the Centre to states.
Prakash Velip, vice chairman of the National Council of State Agricultural Marketing Board told TOI that the proposed draft Act has already been submitted to the government by the board for approval.

“The Board had constituted a committee to look into the Model Act prepared by the Centre and prepare a report within a certain time-frame. The report was submitted to the registrar of co-operative societies which in turn later forwarded it to the government. This was much before the lockdown,” Velip said.
Sources at the board said that the lockdown has delayed the process for the passage of the act. As the Assembly is currently not in session, the government could opt for any other route, like an ordinance, for instance, to get the legislation passed, sources added.
The Centre had recently asked states to modify their APMC Acts in order to have a single licence and single point of levy of market fee at the state level and then gradually move towards a single licence and single point of levy of market fee at the national level. The idea, sources said, was to remove disincentives for farmers and traders to trade across the country as that would save costs, time and resources. States could then be integrated on the online platform e-NAM (e-National Agriculture Market) for online sale and purchase of commodities, nationwide.
“E-trading on the e-NAM platform will enable farmers to purchase and sell agricultural produce without the engagement of third parties, thereby ensuring transparency in the deals and fair price for farmers.
Provisions for contract farming, enhanced marketing infrastructure, grading and standardisation and quality certification, rationalisation of market fee and commission charges, provision for special commodity market yard are some of the salient features of the new act.